Problem booting vista -- attempting repair

GA laptop

New Member
Vista is not booting for me. Here is a short version of the error message:

File: \Boot\BCD

Status: 0xc000000f

Info: An error occurred while attempting to read the boot configuration data.


I have been attempting to fix this for several days and found the Windows Vista Recovery file.

I have started the computer with this disc, but when it gets to the screen with System Recovery Options where I am supposed to select an operating system to repair, there is nothing to choose in the box.
Additionally, when I select the "load drivers" it will show a C: and a D: along with the X: on the hard drive, but if I select the C: or the D:, it will give the following message:

You need to format the disk in drive C: before you can use it. Do you want to format it?

And reformatting the C: drive is the very thing I am attempting to avoid.

Help!!!

I am using an HP dv9500 -- purchased about 18 months ago. I ran a disk check on it twice while trying to resolve these issues, and both times it passed.

Could my hard drive still be the problem even though it passed the test?

Thank you very much in advance for any help.
 
Hi GA, welcome to NST.
If you have other HDD(s) attached/installed, disconnect them temporarily before booting the repair disk.
That might make your Vista system visible.
If not, try clicking "next" even though there's no system listed to repair.
With luck, after the first pass of "startup repair" the Vista installation will suddenly reappear and you can go on and repeat the whole boot/repair sequence a couple more times until it's fixed everything and Vista is booting normally again.
If this keeps happening, suspect malware that is corrupting your MBR, or you might possibly have a damaged block at the beginning of the HDD. A chkdsk /f should remove bad blocks from use if that's the problem.
 
Back
Top